Descartes hails first CDS declaration

Descartes says that it the first successful declarations submitted via HMRC’s new CDS system had been carried out using its e-Customs system, on 3 September.

Descartes says it has been working closely with HMRC to prepare their first trader for making the first declaration using the Chief replacement and was now working to help other clients to prepare for this and future releases.

Descartes’ director of product management, customs Europe Martin Meacock commented: “This a critical milestone in the development of CDS and we are honoured to be the first software house to successfully submit a CDS declaration on behalf of our customers. There are a number of changes between the CDS system and CHIEF, which are not only technical but also around the rules of completion and data required to comply with the EU Union Customs Code. We have worked closely with the HMRC and our customers to achieve this and will be introducing new features to facilitate the additional CDS import / export functionality in future releases but achieving this first step is vital in our strategy in supporting our customers during these challenging times.”

HMRC Customs Transformation Programme Director, Kevin Franklin, added: “This is an important milestone for both HMRC and our trade partners, and we will continue to work with them all to move businesses from CHIEF to CDS.”

BIFA executive director, Robert Windsor said: “This demonstrates that it is possible as anticipated that certain type of post frontier declarations can be submitted via CDS.

However, he added: “What will be more interesting is how the system copes when volumes build up in the months to come.”